Finally! nursing has almost entered the 21st century but still lags behind in becoming united in recognition of what the gold standard should be for entry-level nurses. For years, nurses were told they had to have a BSN in order to advance their careers. For as long as I can remember working full time, raising a family, and attending classes at night was just too much pressure for a majority of nurses to endure. Therefore, many nurses accepted that they would never be able to advance their education level above the ADN or Diploma Degrees. Thankfully, the Internet has allowed a large number of nurses and other professionals to advance their educational level while still working full time and managing a household. I must admit that at first I did not think degrees obtained online was as good as or equal to the ones earned at traditional brick and mortar institutions. Since having to personally balance work, education, and family my attitude has taken a 360-degree turn. The online degree is just as or more challenging than the traditional route because individuals must manage their time more efficiently, stay focused, and self motivated. The class work is just as challenging if not more and demands sacrifices to be made in order to succeed. For all those who still think online degrees are less important and easier to obtain than traditional ones should try taking an online class to evaluate for themselves whether or not this degree should be weighed the same as the traditional degree.

Original Post:June 29, 2009Title: Internet Education and a changing belief among traditional nurse educatorsI can’t help but be amazed how far nursing has come in accepting Internet based BSN programs. I spent the past week at a top university meeting with the director for their nurse anesthesia program. In the past I recall nurse educators that held a belief that if one didn’t get their BSN in a traditional university it was something less that a "real" degree. But these same educators hurt themselves when they view that a BSN is the gold standard as opposed to ADN/Diploma nurses. The problem became when those of us with life responsibilities could not drop everything and attend traditional classes so we didn’t try to obtain our BSN. To maintain the BSN as the gold standard for registered nurses the traditional nurse educators had to accept non-traditional programs. The director I met with not only embraces a BSN earned via the Internet but voiced belief that a BSN learned through independent learning is more challenging due to the discipline it takes to complete such programs. Finally, nursing is entering the twenty-first century. I’m grateful it did during my career; it makes my ability to achieve my goals more realistic.